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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04486989

Treatment for Teachers With Vocal Fatigue

Teachers are a population at high risk for voice disorders given their occupational demands. In a teaching career, a common debilitating symptom among all vocal symptoms experienced is - vocal fatigue, impacting teachers' occupational performance and increasing health care costs. It is therefore essential to identify potential treatment options to alleviate the symptom of vocal fatigue. The purpose of this study is to utilize a body-system level cardiovascular training protocol in comparison to traditional voice production training to alleviate the symptoms of vocal fatigue.

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Key information

Conditions

Vocal Fatigue Laryngeal Diseases Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Respiratory Tract Diseases Signs and Symptoms Treatment Voice Disorders

Age range

21 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee, 37614, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Female teachers between the ages of 21-60 years Female instructors and college professors between the ages of 21-60 years
  • A score of ≥ 15 on factor 1 of the VFI (tiredness and avoidance of voice use) or a score of ≤ 5 on factor 3 of the VFI (improvement of symptoms or lack thereof with rest)
  • Sedentary- wherein participants will need to be completing mild intensity cardiovascular exercise less than 150 minutes in less than 5 days per week

Exclusion criteria

  • Trained athletes
  • Trained singers
  • Smoking in the past 6months
  • Prior history of a vocal fold pathology and current vocal fold pathology

Treatment and study plan

Cardiovascular Conditioning Protocol

Behavioral

Participants will be randomized to either one of the treatment arms to receive treatment for a period of 4 weeks.

Voice Production Exercises

Other

Participants will be randomized to either one of the treatment arms to receive treatment for a period of 4 weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in Physiologic Cost of Speaking

    Time frame: At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment

    Physiologic Cost of Speaking is measured as the rate of oxygen consumption at steady state/ rate of speech (wpm) for each of the two reading tasks

  2. Changes in Oxygen Uptake Kinetics

    Time frame: At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment

    Oxygen Uptake Kinetics is measured as the pattern of oxygen use during each of the two reading tasks

  3. Changes in Post Task Physiological Recovery

    Time frame: At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment

    Post Task Physiological Recovery is measured as the time, seconds, to reach baseline of oxygen consumption post task (within 0.2ml/kg/min) following each of the reading tasks

  4. Changes in Excess Post Exercise Consumption (EPOC)

    Time frame: At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment

    EPOC is measured as the magnitude of recovery oxygen consumption, ml/kg/min for each of the reading tasks

  5. Changes in Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

    Time frame: At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment

    Borg Scale of Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)- measures the self-report of vocal effort for each of the reading tasks

  6. Changes in Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI)

    Time frame: At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment

    Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) is a retrospective scale that measures self-reported symptoms of vocal fatigue

  7. Changes in Global Rating of Vocal Fatigue (VAS 100mm)

    Time frame: At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment

    Global Rating of Vocal Fatigue (VAS 100mm) measures the ability to sustain voice with no fatigue at the end of a working day

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

East Tennessee State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Cardiovascular Conditioning in the Treatment of Vocal Fatigue

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Jul 27, 2020
Registry last updated
Nov 18, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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